Former Pirates Owner Kevin McClatchy Comes Out as Gay

Former Pittsburgh Pirates owner and CEO Kevin McClatchy has made it known publicly that he is gay.

In a New York Times op-ed piece by Frank Bruni, McClatchy acknowledged that the decision to reveal his sexual orientation was "challenging."

McClatchy was in charge of the Pirates from 1996 to 2007, and he helped restore one of baseball's most inept franchises over the years.

He sold his share in the club three years ago after making sure the Pirates would remain in Pittsburgh, according to ESPN.com.

Here's an excerpt from Bruni's piece that sheds some light on the reason McClatchy decided to keep his sexual orientation a secret for so long (via Bruni):

McClatchy said that he frequently heard homophobic language during his days in baseball. It convinced him that keeping his sexual orientation hidden was best.

McClatchy will turn 50 years old in January, and he made that fact a point of emphasis in his decision to announce that he is gay (via Bruni):

I’ve got a birthday coming up where I’m turning old, I’ve spent 30 years—or whatever the number is specifically—not talking about my personal life, lying about my personal life. There’s no way I want to go into the rest of my existence and ever have to hide my personal life again.

According to Bruni, McClatchy, who is a native of Sacramento, has been advising the mayor of the city (former NBA player Kevin Johnson) on the prospects of bringing a major league team to town. He is also the chairman of his family's newspaper publishing company.